Until Dawn
frame Until Dawn is an interactive drama survival horror video game developed by Supermassive Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation 4. It was originally scheduled to be released on the PlayStation 3 and feature PlayStation Move support, but in August 2014, the game was reintroduced as a PlayStation 4 exclusive, and was released worldwide in August 2015. In an interview with PlayStation LifeStyle, executive producer Pete Samuels stated that Supermassive Games is exploring the possibility of continuing Until Dawn. Gameplay Until Dawn is designed to be played multiple times, as players cannot see all content with a single playthrough. Each playthrough lasts about nine hours in length and the game mechanics utilize an in-game system called the "Butterfly Effect" in which any choice of action by the player may cause unforeseen consequences later on (although all alterations to the flow of the story give an obvious visual cue in the form of a butterfly icon and a list of all changes made in your current game can be viewed in one pane of the game menu, to give you a hint on what you might be able to expect later down the road). For example, locating a weapon in an earlier chapter may allow the player to pick it up down the line when a chase scene leads back to the same room. Throughout the game, players will make difficult decisions during ethical or moral dilemmas, such as sacrificing one character to save another. The Butterfly Effect system blurs the line between right and wrong decisions and it is possible for players to keep all eight characters alive as well as having all eight of them die, allowing for many different paths and scenarios as well as offering several different endings for each character. Until Dawn has a strict auto-save system to prevent players from reloading a previous save file to an earlier point in the game if they regret an in-game decision they have made. The only way to change the player's choice is to restart the game from the beginning or continue to the end and start a new game. The developer has stated that Until Dawn has "hundreds of endings" but that should not be taken literally: Different endings have different variations depending on the combination of characters alive at the end of the game. The gameplay is focused on exploration, quick-time events and discovering clues as well as making decisions. There is an in-game system that will keep track of all of the clues and secrets players have discovered in total, even if there are multiple playthroughs; these clues will allow the player to piece together the mysteries of Blackwood. In terms of the gameplay mechanics and theme, Until Dawn has been noted to be similar to Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls. Characters Ashley *'Portrayed By:' Galadriel Stineman *'Character Qualities:' Beth Portrayed By: Ella Lentini *'Character Qualities:' None Chris thumb|Chris Portrayed By: Noah Fleiss *'Character Qualities:' Charitable, Funny, Curious *'Related Butterfly Effects:' Any Of Your Business (Sam & Chris), Rats With Bushy Tails (Sam & Chris), The Result of Chaos (All Characters) Christopher is the nerd of the group, though he tries to display confidence through comedy. He has been friends with Joshua Washington since elementary school, having been switched to the back of the class from the front after another kid was disruptive. He has developed a crush on Ashley, although as his friends tend to tease him he is too scared to tell her how he feels. His determinant deaths occur twice during Chapter 8 (one of which is reliant upon an action taken during Chapter 6), and twice in Chapter 9. Unique among the characters, if he survives until Chapter 10, he survives no matter what actions are taken thereafter. Emily Portrayed By: Nichole Bloom *'Character Qualities:' Hannah Portrayed By: Ella Lentini *'Character Qualities:' None Jessica Portrayed By: Meaghan Martin *'Character Qualities:' Josh, Hannah And Beth's Brother Portrayed By: Rami Malek *'Character Qualities:' Complex, Thoughtful, Loving *'Associated Butterfly Effects:' ...And Which Will Die, Important Discovery Matt Portrayed By: Jordan Fisher *'Character Qualities:' Honest, Charitable, Curious *'Associated Butterfly Effects:' The Soul of Discretion (Ashley, Matt, Mike, Emily), Whose Side Are You On (Matt, Jessica, Emily), On The Same Page (Matt & Emily), The Result of Chaos (All Characters) Mike Portrayed By: Brett Dalton *'Character Qualities:' Funny, Brave, Romantic *'Associated Butterfly Effects:' The Soul of Discretion (Ashley, Matt, Mike, Emily), Be Her Hero (Mike & Jessica), The Rescue (Mike & Jessica), At What Price (Mike), Man's Best Friend (Mike), The Result of Chaos (All Characters) Sam(antha) Portrayed By: Hayden Panettiere *'Character Qualities:' Honest, Charitable, Brave *'Associated Butterfly Effects:' Any Of Your Business (Sam & Chris), Rats With Bushy Tails (Sam & Chris), Something For Later (Sam), The Result Of Chaos (All Characters) Dr. Hill Portrayed By: Plot Prologue: Last Year The game starts out with a group of ten teenagers going away to a lodge that some of the groups' family owns, up on Blackwood Mountain in Alberta, Canada. These ten teenagers are the twins, Beth and Hannah Washington; their brother Josh; the somewhat nerdy girl Ashley; the nerdy class clown Chris; the super popular Jessica; the valedictorian Matt; the jock Mike and his then-girlfriend, the catty Emily; and the vegan animal lover, Samantha. The entire group spend the earlier hours of the night getting drunk, and Josh passes out at the bar. Beth catches a glimpse of a mysterious man roaming outside the cabin, frightening her although she is unable to wake her brother. As a prank, all of the group except for the Washington family decide to play a prank on Hannah, who has a huge and obsessive crush on Mike. To this regard, Mike invites her into the back bedroom on the premise of the two of them fooling around, but she discovers the others hiding in various spots around the room, filming her using a selfie stick. Extremely embarrassed she flees the cabin, heedless of the blizzard raging outside. Hearing her sister shrieking, Beth storms outside to see the rest of the group calling out to Hannah as she runs into the surrounding forest but not chasing after her. Angered at her friends when they tell her what happens, she takes it upon herself to retrieve her twin. However, she soon discovers a strange wooden totem lying on the ground and after peering into it, sees a vision of her sister's death. Soon after she starts hearing inhuman shrieks from the woods beyond and gouts of flame erupt out of nowhere. Although she finds her sister, the two find themselves cornered by the trespassing man, and attempt to flee to safety. Unfortunately he blocks their path back to the lodge and so they run in a different direction. Along the way Beth drops her phone and it falls into a crack in the wooden bridge. Too afraid of getting caught, they press on but quickly find themselves at a deep chasm with nowhere else to go. Turning around, the man is right behind them and Hannah slips and falls off the cliff, dragging Beth with her. Beth grabs a branch and hangs on to not only her beloved sister but also for dear life, begging Hannah not to let go. However the mysterious man looms over the ledge, discovering that they have survived. It is here that Beth must make a choice: She must either let go of Hannah and let her drop presumably to her death and attempt to take the man's hand to save herself, or let go of the branch and let both her and her sister plummet and hope they both survive. *If Beth lets go of the branch, both fall and seemingly die, snapping their spines on the rocks below. *If Beth chooses to let go of Hannah, Beth will apologize and Hannah falls, seemingly dying as her spine snaps on the rocks below. However, before Beth can reach the man above the branch breaks and she too falls, ending up in the same eventual fate either way. Chapter 1: Friendship A year goes by, and the sudden disappearance of both girls has torn the remaining teenagers apart. Their brother Josh had a mental breakdown, Emily and Mike broke up only to find solace in the arms of Matt and Jessica, respectively. The others are certainly affected by the events, but seem to be doing OK considering the circumstances. Josh sends each and every one of them a video invitation to return to the cabin for some closure, and each choose to return. Chapter 2: Darkness / Jealousy Chapter 3: Isolation / Haunted Chapter 4: Loyalty 7 Hours Until Dawn Playable Characters: Mike, Chris Chapter 5: Dread Six Hours Until Dawn Playable Characters: Mike (Sanitarium), Matt (Forest), Sam (Lodge) Chapter 6: Psychosis Chapter 7: Violence Chapter 8: Revelation Chapter 9: Despair Two Hours Until Dawn Playable Characters: Mike (Sanatorium), Ashley (Tunnel to Sanatorium), Sam (Mines) Mike Objectives: *Get through the Sanatorium to find Josh and the cable car key *''Once key is obtained, Mike will no longer have an objective - he will simply be trying to survive'' Mike has entered the Sanatorium, only to quickly discover that the two wolves have gone missing. He also finds himself locked out of the other rooms and has to locate a shotgun to blast the lock off of one of the doors to continue on. PROTIP: Mike will automatically grab enough shotgun shells and will not run out of ammo no matter how many times he needs to shoot later. You do not have to worry about conserving ammunition. He must continue on, and before long comes into contact with the White Wolf, barking at him. If he did not kick it earlier in the game, it will consider him a friend and not attack, instead moving on. Not much further away he discovers the fate of the Black Wolf, which has been seemingly tied to a chain link fence and gutted. It is from here that Matt (and the player) need to start worrying about Wendigo attacks. Once Mike either escapes the Sanatorium or is slaughtered by the numerous Wendigo, the game will move on from him. If Jessica was killed earlier in the game, it will reveal that she is still alive and well, albeit significantly injured and still in her underwear in the freezing cold atmosphere of the mountain. She quickly dons a jacket before continuing on her own. Ashley thumb|Sam, in a headlamp, leading the team through the tunnel. The other surviving members of the party are now traveling through the same tunnel leading to the Sanatorium that Matt had just used to arrive there himself, with Sam in the lead. If Chris is still alive, he will immediately tell the others to go on without him as he is "gimping" and is slowing the entire party down. Ashley must choose to inquire what is hurting him or to reassure him that they will not leave him behind. This will start up the Butterfly Effects again, opening up Left Behind, depending upon whether you choose to leave him or slow down to make up for his speed issue. You are safe in this tunnel and can explore if you so choose, although the only item available is a Danger Totem further on. If you had Matt lock the first door behind him, the others will find themselves locked out of the Sanatorium, and will need to slip into the sewers instead. Moving into the sewers, the group leave Ashley to catch up while she closes the sewer lid. She does not get far however before she hears Jessica crying for help. She must make the choice to ignore the voice and regroup with the others or investigate. Again, this updates the Left Behind Butterfly Effect. PROTIP: If you choose to send Ashley searching for Jessica, DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR. Doing so will get her immediately killed by a Wendigo by twisting her head off. Upon doing so the Wendigo will make off with Ashley's body and the game will reveal that Josh has been dropped into the mines. However, doing so will earn you the Trophy "You Let The Wrong One In!". If Ashley or Chris is killed, the game will switch to Sam. Sam The remaining teens encounter a rock wall and are forced to split up when Sam announces that she is going to go find Matt with or without the others; with Chris injured, the other two cannot continue with her. After making it up the cliff, Sam can jump down the other side. This area is safe, though Sam will find herself blocked by a fence gate that has become stuck. To open it she grabs herself a shovel to pry it open. On the other side she encounters Matt, who bursts through a door with the smoldering Wendigo right behind him. She must now hit it with the shovel twice to end the chapter. Chapter 10: Repentance One Hour Until Dawn Playable Characters: Josh (Mines), Sam (Mines), Josh (Mines), Matt (Mines) Josh Immediately the game reveals that Dr. Hill has absolutely been a figment of Josh's imagination the entire time when he shows up at desk and chair at the bottom of the cavern. He tells Josh that their sessions are over as he has not been helped and that he is now all alone before wandering off. Josh begins to hear both Beth and Hannah sing Frère Jacques and giggle while Dr. Hill and the others being to chastise him. He decides to "trust them" and stands up. For the first time in the game he is playable. You may notice that unlike the other characters, Josh has no stats. This is because this portion of the game is very short. All that can be done here is to walk to the left; first time doing so, Hannah appears, asking him why he didn't save her and why he wanted her to die. Second time, Beth also shows up and asks the same question. The third time the wall transforms into skin and a machete will slice through it, leaving a giant pig's head to emerge. This is the only part that any actual interaction is done with Josh -- press the [] button and he will punch it before it bites him, causing it to become decapitated. Guts will spew all over the floor and both Washington sisters will emerge, with Beth tearing off her face while they continue to hound him with the same questions over and over. Suddenly, a Wendigo head will emerge from the wall. Sam If Matt has been rescued, he and Sam will discuss the Wendigos, and Matt will inform her that one of the ones he saw was definitely from the mine's collapse in 1952, making it at least 80 years old. He tells her that there are "too many" of them when she inquires about how many their are. PROTIP: Before you jump down (the interactive X directly in front of you as you continue slightly down the path), make sure to grab the Fortune Totem to your immediate right and then head down the path to the left to grab the Clue: Beth's Watch. Enter the water when you are ready - there is no danger here (though taking a dip in freezing cold water in the middle of winter certainly isn't the greatest of ideas). PROTIP: However, keep in mind that there is an "important document" in this area that will affect the Important Discovery Butterfly Effect. Not collecting it means that Josh will die soon. Opening the door will cause this to fail and a Wendigo will watch them from the water as they enter the room full of corpses. They will notice Josh having hallucinations in the adjacent room, and run up to him at the same time as he is telling the hallucinations that he will trust them. Matt will slap him out of it and he will give Sam the cable car key. She will then climb out of the hole he was dropped through while Mike takes Josh back the way they came. Josh Before following Mike, make sure to head to your left and pick up the final Fortune Totem: this one will show Sam with a Wendigo stepping up right in front of her, indicating a Don't Move moment in the future. Continue on with Mike. If you did not collect the important document than Hannah will emerge from the water and crush Josh's skull, killing him. If this is the case than the player will continue on as Matt. Matt Whether or not Matt was seen killed earlier on, he will suddenly reappear in the caves. You are safe for now, and there is an interaction point to the right side where Jess and Matt will talk about each other's falling. Not too far down the tunnels however a Wendigo will emerge - if you try to run Jessica will automatically die, although doing so will lead to another choice point where if Matt continues to run he can lock himself into a room. Sam Sam is nearly out of the caverns and you must guide her in the final leg of the climb to get her out. Once out, stick to the right path to find the final Danger Totem, which seems to show the Hannah Wendigo in the cable car area. She must then cross another (safe) patch of water and drop off another ledge, leading her to the storage barn. Here she hears a sound and flees to the house - if Josh is dead than Mike will reveal himself to be the pursuer and the two will break into the lodge. Debating what to do, Mike suggests going downstairs to see if anyone is still down there. You are safe until you walk down past the first flight of stairs into the basement. From here a cutscene will play in the theater room, and any surviving characters will flee in, screaming to run and being chased by Wendigos. Sam must quickly choose whether to run or to lock the door. Locking the door will not get her killed. Either way, running upstairs will reveal a Wendigo on the chandelier looking for them. Mike pleads with Sam not to move, and easily the game's longest Don't Move event will occur. If you succeed in remaining still (or setting your controller on a table, for the clever) the other two Wendigos will emerge from the basement and, seeing their movement, the chandelier Wendigo will attack them, causing the gas main to the stove to break open, filling the house with propane. Mike sees this and realizes that electricity will set it off. This is to be the final sequence in the game - your goal is to not move as much as possible - if you run for the light switch, anybody left in the lodge will perish. You instead must perform a Don't Move -> Don't Move -> Save Mike -> Hide -> Don't Move -> etc to keep everyone alive. Upon getting out of the lodge, the helicopter will finally arrive and the credits will roll. After the final Police Investigation footage rolls, you can skip the credits if you like - there is no PS video at the end. Category:Until Dawn Category:PlayStation 4 Games Category:Survival Horror Games Category:2010's-2020's Games Category:Games by Supermassive Category:Games By Sony Reception Until Dawn was met with very positive critical response upon release, with praise directed at the visuals, choice mechanic, horror elements, music, characters, voice acting, and gameplay design. It received an aggregated score of 80.58% on GameRankings based on 67 reviews and 80/100 on Metacritic based on 93 reviews. Most of the criticism the game drew was concerning the story (mostly the second half) with a partially linear plot, along with some awkward choices in camera angles and character movement controls being somewhat counter-intuitive. Lucy O'Brien of IGN gave the game a generally positive review, giving it a 7.5 out of 10. She praised the "creepy" environments, "tongue-in-cheek" tone, and the choices the player is forced to make. She did however dislike certain characters, particularly 'Doctor Hill', and the second half of the game, mostly the story's focus, calling it "silly" and "derailing". She thought that the game was flawed but enjoyable and felt that the story dragged down the game's overall quality. Game Informer's Jeff Marchiafava gave the game a positive review, with a score of 9/10. He praised the player decision making mechanic, which he felt dynamically changed the game's experience and story. He also praised the game's score, which he called "superb", the voice acting, the story, which was thought of as "intriguing and exciting", and the visuals. He called the gameplay "simple yet effective" and thought it was "engaging", but he criticized the game's animation, which he described as "awkward". Marchiafava stated that the game is a "remarkable experience that horror fans shouldn't miss". In her mostly positive review for GameSpot, Alexa Ray Corriea scored the game an 8/10, saying that she was surprised by the game. She particularly complimented the narrative because she considered its branching paths have significantly altered the game's story, saying "choices matter in big ways and affect the rest of the game". She also liked the actors' performances, calling them "incredibly good", and the overall replayability. Negative comments were concerning the story, mostly towards the end, and the "unflattering" camera angles. She also said "the visuals can be wonky at times". VideoGamer.com's Tom Orry gave the game a positive review. He scored it an 8/10, citing the horror elements, acting, "lovely" visuals, and the player choice mechanic as positives, even though he had some minor criticisms. Orry felt that the game had exceeded his expectations and added that the simple gameplay, alongside the story, successfully gives players a thrilling and malleable experience. Destructoid's Chris Carter gave the game a 7 out of 10. He praised the game's environments, collectibles, and premise. However, he criticized the game's story, which he thought was predictable, and the over-exaggerated acting. In addition, Carter felt that the game lacked meaningful choices. GamesRadar's Louise Blain gave the game a 3.5 out of 5, calling it a "beautiful" "bloodstained love letter to every horror movie you’ve ever seen". She enjoyed the jump-scares, pace, visuals, and overall tone, but criticized the game for being "painfully" short. She disliked the decision making mechanic as she thought that the system was diminished due to several set plot points. Giving a mixed review for Polygon, Philip Kollar scored the game a 6.5/10. He found the game "generic", even though he thought it had offered him a unique experience. He did not consider it a great game, but he thought that the game was good enough to keep him engaged. He added that the narrative structure of the game could serve as an example for future narrative-driven video games. As Until Dawn features gore and blood, a death scene was censored in the Japanese version of the game. Sales The game was the sixth best selling weekly software in Japan, selling 17,472 copies. The release of this as well as Dragon's Dogma Online provided a slight boost in PlayStation 4 sales. In the United Kingdom, Until Dawn was the second best-selling software for the week of 29 August 2015, debuting at No. 2 in the UK retail software sales chart, only behind Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. According to the NPD Group, Until Dawn was the seventh best selling game in the United States in August 2015. Supermassive executive producer Pete Samuels stated that the sales of the game far exceeded their expectations. Category:Until Dawn Category:PlayStation 4 Games Category:Survival Horror Games Category:2010's-2020's Games Category:Games by Supermassive Category:Games By Sony